Joy in Israel as hostages return but families say Hamas not honouring deal to return the dead
Trump has declared that the war in Gaza is over – but negotiations are notpublished at 15:17 BST
Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Sharm el-Sheikh
Image source, Reuters
President Trump is now on his way to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, for a summit that will see the official signing of the Gaza deal.
More than 20 world leaders – including from Arab and Muslim countries – are here, in a significant show of support for his plan.
The gathering will be another victory lap for the president, whose personal involvement led to the deal.
He has declared that the war in Gaza is over – but the negotiations are not.
In a speech to the Israeli parliament, Trump employed his usual hyperbole to describe this moment, calling it a “historic dawn in a new Middle East”.
But this is only the first phase of his 20-point plan, and major obstacles remain – including questions over the future of Hamas, the scale of the Israeli withdrawal and who will govern Gaza.
Progress will only be made if Trump remains engaged with this process. He is known, however, for not having patience with long and difficult negotiations or being interested in discussing details that are inevitable in any decent deal.
Trump has expressed his desire to expand the Abraham Accords – a key achievement in his first term that saw Israel normalise relations with four Arab states – with the major goal of reaching a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
That, however, is unlikely to happen without a clear path for Palestinian statehood, something the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly rejected.
There is huge momentum and hope, but words alone will not solve the many conflicts in this region.
